*Eat three meals a day and two snacks that total 1,400 calories.

Most people will achieve slow, reasonable weight loss at 1,400 calories a day for women and 1,500 calories a day for men. (Check with your doctor before starting this plan to be sure it's right for you and to determine if you should have a different daily calorie total.)

To distribute your calories throughout the day, consume:

350 calories for breakfast

450 calories for lunch

500 calories for dinner

two 50-calorie or two 100-calorie snacks, depending on the total number of calories you're shooting for per day.